Fireworks cause panic for family

WAKING up in the middle of the night to a series of booming sounds outside, one family's first thoughts went to their dog, who is absolutely terrified of fireworks.

On Saturday night, last weekend, a large number of residents and visitors at the Jetty Foreshores woke up to a series of unexpected fireworks being released from the middle of Jetty Beach around 2am.

Liz Latham, her husband and six-year-old daughter were staying in the area with their fur child Buster, a labrador cross border collie.

Seven-year-old Buster is terrified of fireworks so when the family know there are going to be some in the area, they prepare to keep their beloved pet safe, but without the warning of last weekend's, it was more than Buster could take.

"We panicked because we knew Buster was scared of fireworks. We could hear him scratching down stairs but by the time we got to him, he'd gone,” Liz said.

Her husband and dad hopped in the car straight away to search the area for Buster to no avail in the early hours of the morning.

"They didn't find him and then half an hour later, more fireworks went off.

"We looked everywhere, we called the vets and left all out details in case someone dropped him off.

"They were loud and without warning, with fireworks you've had warning about, you know how to look after your animals but we weren't ready for those ones.

Thankfully, on Tuesday morning, Liz received a phone call from a vet telling her they had Buster.

He'd been found in Manning Avenue, on the North side of Park Beach Plaza by a lady and her kids.

When he was picked up by his family, Buster jumped all over everyone and is now inseparable from their daughter Lexi.

"My daughter has been beside herself, they're inseparable at the moment.

"We were really worried someone would take him, there were some bad thoughts going through my head. He was very hungry but besides that, we're thankful he's fine.

Lexi Latham and Buster have been inseparable since being reunited.Trevor Veale/The Coffs Coast Adv